Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	build_v	peter_n	rock_n	30,238	5	9.7701	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39224	Communion of churches, or, The divine management of gospel-churches by the ordinance of councils constituted in order according to the Scriptures as also the way of bringing all Christian parishes to be particular Reforming Congregationall Churches, humbly proposed as ... a means of uniting those two holy and eminent parties the Presbyterians and the Congregationals ... / written by John Eliot.	Eliot, John, 1604-1690.	1665 (1665)	Wing E508; ESTC R24949	30,563	42

Communion of Churches OR The Divine Management of Gospel-Churches by the Ordinance of COUNCILS Constituted in Order according to the SCRIPTURES AS ALSO The Way of bringing all Christian Parishes to be particular Reforming Congregationall Churches Humbly Proposed As a Way which hath so much Light from the Scriptures of Truth as that it may lawfully be Submitted unto by all and may by the blessing of the Lord be a Means of Uniting those two Holy and Eminent PARTIES The Presbyterians and the Congregationals AS ALSO To Prepare for the hoped-for Resurrection of the Churches and to Propose a way to bring all Christian Nations unto an Unity of the Faith and Order of the Gospel Written by Iohn Eliot Teacher of Roxbury in N. E. Psal. 1. ●…0 That ye may try the things that are excellent 1 John 4 1. Try the Spirits Cambridge Printed by Marmaduke Iohnson 1665. PREFACE ALthough a few Copies of this small Script are Printed yet it is not published onely committed privately to some Godly and Able hands to be Viewed Corrected Amended or Rejected as it shall be found to hold wright in the Sanctuary Ballance or not And it is the humble Request of the Author That whatever Objections Rectification or Emendati●…ns may occurre●… they may be conveyed unto him who desireth nothing may be accepted in the Churches but what is according to the Will and Minde of God and tendeth to Holiness Peace and Promotion of the holy Kingdome of Iesus Christ. The procuring of half so many Copies Written and Corrected would be more difficult and chargeable then the Printing of these few I beg the Prayers as well as the Pains of the precio●…s Servants of the Lord that I may never have the least singer in doing any thing that may be derogatory to the Holiness and Honour of Iesus Christ and his Churches And to this I subscribe my self One of the least of the Labourers in our Lords Vineyard JOHN ELIOT Communion of Churches OR The divine Management of Gospel-Churches BY THE Ordinance of Councils CHAP. I. Prolegomena or Things premised I. THere be two holy Publick Societies famous in the Gospel 1. A Church of Believers 2. A Council of Churches A Church of Believers is a company of visible Sainte combined together with one heart to hold Communion in all the instituted Gospel-worship Ordinances and Discipline which Christ hath sitted for and given unto a particular Church Such a Company are frequently called A Church See a few places Acts 2. 47 11. 26. 14. 23 27. 1 Cor. 11. 18 20 22 c. A Council is a Society of particular Churches in Communion by their Representatives for their well-being and well-ordering all things among them by mutual Counsel in Truth Peace and Holiness Our Pattern is that Great Council Acts 15. which consisted of two Churches in an ordinary way expresly agreed to give and take counsel and it is le●… as a Standard and Pattern ●…ow the great Ordinance of Counsel is to be used and managed for the well-being of Churches to the worlds end II. The Constitution of both these Buildings or Societies are eminent and observable in the Gospel The first of these viz. A Church of Believers is first instituted by Christ himself and afterward put in practice by the Apostles Matth. 16. 18. Thou art Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church The Rock confessed is CHRIST Christ Confessëd is the Foundation of the Visible Church Peter confessing is an hewn stone squared to the foundation a Believer made Ecclesiastically visible sitted for Church-building and fellowship A company of such Confessors or a company of these confessing Believers 1. Have power to joyn together into a Gospel Church-state as they did Acts 1. 13 14. Continued with one accord so Acts 2. 46. 2. They have power to call Officers by whom they become an Organick Body and sitted to administer and enjoy all instituted Worship Acts 1. 15 23. Peter stood up in the midst of the Disciples And they appointed two Acts 6. 3. Brethren look you out men Acts 14. 23. By bolding up bands made Elders 3. By the Ministry of these Officers the Church doth actually enjoy such Ordinances as are instituted by Christ for their Edisication Both Directive in Word Sacraments Prayer Singing of Psalms and Collections Acts 2. 42. They continu●…ct stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and sellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers Col. 3. 16. Teaching one another in Psalms and Hymns c. ●…1 Cor. 16. 1 2. Every first day lay by it self c. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the Neuter Gender as well as Masculine and is so to be read because they had two distinct Collections ●…t that time The Collection for Ierusalem was by it self a publick not a private Collection Corrective 1 Cor. ●…5 425. When gathered together deliver to Sa●… III The administration of and participation in all these Ordi●…ances while we are in this flesh and state militant are in full of variety of difficulties and temptations especially where Churches are numerous that the work cannot long be carried on a while it sometimes may viz. while the Churches are under the eye of an adversary and when there be Elders eminent in Piety Humility and Ability without stated help The help which the Lord hath instituted is Counsel When Antiech had trouble in some points of Doctrine the Remedy which the holy Ghost applied was Counsel given them by a formall Council Acts 15. When Corinth wanted help in a point of Discipline the Apostle doth help by ministring Counsel unto them 1 Cor. 5. 3 4 5. and he counselleth the Church to Excommunicate the man the sinner Excommunication is a sharp Rod made up of seven most severe and terrible Twigs or a strong Purgation compounded of seven violent Ingredients viz. 1. He is cut off from visible Communion with Christ in the Church 2. He is cut off from familiar Communion with the Saints in Worship 3. He is cast out of the usual walk of the Spirit 4. He is cast out of the House of God as unsavoury Salt or a loathsome thing that doth offend 5. He is thrust out of the Paradise of God from eating the Tree of Life viz. Christ in the Sacrament of the Supper where the Spirit sitteth as in his Sealing-office 6. He is cut off from familiar Civil Communion with the Saints he may not be invited to eat with them 7. He is delivered to Satan and that by the Sentence of Christ through the hand of his Spouse the Church and all this to be inflicted upon a Brother Ah! who trembles not to minister such a Pill to lay on such a Rod And therefore it had need to be managed and administred with all care fear and clearness And all this sheweth and much more might be produced to shew what need there is of Counsel which after thirty or forty years experience in the way of Congregational Churches in fulness of